


Monkshood County

by emimiketrash



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Epic SaraMila meet-cute, F/F, JJ is not bad just misunderstood, M/M, Mickey and Emil are neighbors, Murder Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, implied leoji, suburban living
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-26
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2019-02-07 03:24:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12832293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emimiketrash/pseuds/emimiketrash
Summary: As they brave the tormenting tides of adolescence, Michele Crispino and Emil Nekola must solve a mystery that will unearth not only dark secrets about their hometown, but also the cruel intentions of those around them.





	Monkshood County

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As a new school year begins, the students of Monkshood County High School begin to feel the effects of the disappearance of Viktor Nikiforov and nothing is the same anymore. Meanwhile, a new face in town captures unwanted attention... except perhaps the attention of a certain brunette Italian girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello kids! I am EmiMikeTrash and I'm so glad to be able to release a first chapter of my fanfic, Monkshood County. This is my first creative writing project in a long while so please go easy on me here. Haha!
> 
> Please enjoy this un-beta'd piece of work!

_“We wonder if you realize_  
_The surface won't change what's inside”_

* * *

 

 **September 03, 2017.**  
**Sunday, 7:11PM.  
** **Monkshood County.**

 _“Small, thriving, idyllic, and safe? Are you looking for a town like this?_  
_Look no further. Monkshood County is all of that and more._  
_A thriving town with a serene and safe environment for families and businesses.  
_ _Who could ask for more? Visit Monkshood County today!”_  

The radio blasted the advertisement loud enough for Mila Babicheva to hear while she looked at the world outside from the backseat of the Escalade. She could see a little suburban town casted with shadows with only the streetlamps, the colorful neon signages, lights from residential buildings and houses, and the stars in heaven above to serve as illumination for Mila’s car.

_In other news, the Monkshood County Police still has no leads on the missing heir to the family business and the parents have raised the reward for finding their son.”_

Mila lost her attention on the radio news as her eyes found another source of light showing itself along the streets. One that radiated of safety and comfort. The black car made its way to an ivory five-story building with two rising columns, a brown and ornately-crafted mahogany double door with sidelites, and stained-glass windows. The moment the vehicle came to a halt, Mila immediately opened the car door and got out. She walked closer to the building door.

' _Glavnaya?_ ’1 The girl thought to herself as she looked at the building’s name in gold, perched on top of the double door. ‘ _It does seem like home._ ’

In all her Chanel-covered glory, from her black cocktail dress to her sleek black pumps, Mila took a deep breath and let out a tiny smile. The doorman, Konstantin, dressed in a black-and-white uniform greeted her with a glimmer in his eyes, as if seeing an old friend from the past. “Good evening, Ms. Mila. How was your trip to Monkshood County?”

* * *

**September 03, 2017.**  
**Sunday, 8:57PM.**  
**Mario’s Diner.**

The summertime darkness in Monkshood County is always unmistakable. The darkness is almost so strong that it seemed like the shadows have encased the small town in a dome-like sphere. Even before the sun finishes setting, all the streetlamps, the colorful neon signages, lights from residential buildings and houses, and the stars in heaven above flicker on and hope to brighten the way for the county citizens.  
  
But within that darkness, near the dimly-lit park center of the town was Mario’s Diner, a 1950’s styled diner that served as a neon oasis in the rapidly dimming surroundings of the county with its dominating “MARIO’S DINER” sign glowing red over the white concrete one-story building with blue and white neon lines decorating the top edges of the structure and florescent lights under the roof’s soffit.

The interior of Mario’s stayed true to the traditional diner interior design. Checkered floor tiles, white and red wall tiles, a cyan metal bar with red upholstered bar stools, red booth seats, 50’s Americana décor (which, rumor has it, are all antiques from Mario de la Iglesia’s family), a fully-functioning jukebox, and the aroma of fresh burgers on the grill and succulent pancake syrup truly captured the whole diner experience for every customer and employee.

“All right, then,” Leo de la Iglesia beamed in his 1950’s diner server uniform as he set down food and milkshakes at his friends’ table. “Two classic cheeseburgers, curly fries, a peanut butter fudge, and a Phichit special.”

Sara Crispino and Phichit Chulanont smiled in unison. “Thanks, Leo!”  
  
Leo let out a sigh of relief as he removed his white apron and hat. He sat down with his friends in their booth seats and his eyes glimmered, ready to finally eat dinner: a classic cheeseburger and a caramel milkshake. “And that ends my summer shift at my folks’ diner.” He picked up the quarter pounder and bit into it, savoring every bite. He worked hard for dinner after all (and his dad did tell him to have dinner at the diner before going home because the teenager finishes his shifts quite late).

Sara couldn’t help but just smile for Leo. “You earned it. You’ve been working non-stop. Phichit over here told me you may have skipped lunch.”

“Well, glad you’re done with work, buddy. Congratulations!” Phichit popped another curly fry into his mouth before switching the subject. To a rather darker subject. “So any news regarding—”

“The disappearance? Still nothing.” Sara frowned. “My dad has no new leads on the case. The chief is close to calling the case closed.”  
  
“Aww man. Viktor’s family must be worried about him.” Leo couldn’t help but sympathize for the Nikiforov family.

Phichit started rubbing his chin, pondering out loud, “What could have happened to Viktor that just made him disappear?”  
  
“Maybe he ran away?” Leo set his burger down and started to wander.

 Phichit had other ideas, “Maybe he was kidnapped.”

 “With no ransom note? That can’t be.”

 “Kidnappings don’t always need ransom notes.”  
  
“Maybe he just went to a new school in another country?”

“Maybe a Parisian boarding school!”

“A Parisian boarding school? What??”

"The Nikiforovs can afford that, you know. Their pool is so full of cash, they practically swim in it.”

“I know that, but wouldn’t the whole school know by now if he was studying somewhere else?”

“That is true but last I heard, Viktor flunked trigonometry so bad his parents decided to move him to boarding school. That’s why hardly anyone knows.”

“How is that even true? Viktor’s good at math!”

The boys’ debate over their disappearance theories faded away from Sara’s hearing as her focus shifted towards a black, hooded figure with the longest legs Sara Crispino has ever seen enter the diner, almost disrupting the diner’s atmosphere quite well. The figure removed its hood to reveal a red-headed woman – around the same age as Sara, Phichit, and Leo – conversing with the cashier.

“Hello. I’m here for an order for Babicheva.” Mila said.

The cashier, a gentle and pudgy white man approaching his fifties, kindly replied, “Almost done, Miss. If you may kindly wait for a few more minutes.”

Mila flashed a graceful smile and answered, “Will do. Thank you.” She glanced around till her blue eyes found their way towards purple eyes – Sara Crispino’s. It’s as if the world around them from the chattering of nearby customers in their booth seats to the clicking of Mila’s black Louboutins as she walked towards Sara were inaudible and the only thing that could be heard was ‘Under Your Spell’ by Desire playing in the jukebox.

“Hi.”

Immediately, Sara’s focus returned, quickly enough for her to respond. “Hi.”

Phichit and Leo’s debate came to a halt when they noticed the newcomer in their midst.

“Uhm,” Mila uttered, searching for any excuse to maintain conversation with the raven-haired Italian beauty she had her eyes on at the cashier. And she found it. “How are the curly fries here?”

As if by reflex, Sara hiccupped, “Great.” Mila smiled, satisfied with the other girl’s response.

“Crispy and golden brown.” Leo beamed proudly, like he was pitching the fries. “All made by hand with all-natural potatoes sourced from Iowa—”

“That’s… great, Leo.” Phichit quickly interjected. It seemed he was more aware of the connection Sara and this red-headed girl were making more than Leo was, if he even was aware. “Hey, let’s go to the jukebox and pick a new song!”

“Uhh—but I haven’t told them about the history of the diner—”

“Sorry, Leo. Maybe later.”

As Leo got dragged away by Phichit, Sara and Mila couldn’t help but stare in confusion. Mila was the first to get back on track.

“Anyway…” Mila sat down across Sara, who was obviously nervous, breathing rather heavily. It was clear that she’s never had a chat with another girl like this. But Mila’s genuine smile, for some odd reason no one understood, seemed to put Sara at ease.

Enough ease to let Sara ask a question. “I’ve never seen you around here before. Did you just move in from somewhere?”

“Yeah haha.” Mila glanced down a little bit before meeting her eyes with Sara’s. Those dark purple orbs that she’s never seen so beautifully on another girl.

_Wait, what now?_

“I just moved here from New York. So, I’m… uhm, nervous. New town. New school. New life, basically.”

Sara quickly added. “And it’s the first day of school tomorrow at Monkshood High.”

Mila’s eyes widened like saucers. “You go there?”

“Oh yeah.” Sara smiled. “I’m a graduating senior now. How about you?”  
  
“Same here.” Mila’s smile faded a bit again. “It’s just a shame I couldn’t finish high school back in New York.”

“Why not?”  
  
Mila gave a little wink. “That’s a story for another time. For now…” She chirped as she extended a hand towards Sara. “I’m Mila.” 

“Sara.” Sara smiled back as she shook Mila’s hand.

 “Wait. You wouldn’t happen to be Sara Crispino, would you?”

“Oh?” Sara tilted her head, rather coyly. “If I was, what would you do about it?”  
  
“Hmm…” Mila jokingly rubbed her chin, pretending to think hard. “Maybe make you give me a tour of the school tomorrow?”

The raven-headed girl laughed a bit as she fell back into her seat. “Luckily, I AM supposed to give you your tour.”

“Heyyy.” Mila laughed as well. “At least the person giving my tour tomorrow is an _angel_.”

And it was in that moment that Sara’s face began to heat up.

“Huh? Are you okay?” Mila leaned in a bit closer to Sara, who quickly covered her cheeks, trying but spectacularly failing to hide from the world that Mila, the fiery-haired new girl, just made her blush.

“Oh no, Sara!” And for once, Leo’s slight cluelessness to a situation at hand saved Sara by the bell. “Did Pete make you an alcoholic milkshake again by accident?”

“No no no no! I’m okay!” Sara squeaked a little louder than she should have. “Is it hot in here? Whoo!” The girl fanned herself for effect. Her goofy expression was not enough to hide just how embarrassingly she handled that. _Smooth, Sara. Just smooth._

Mila glanced at the silver wristwatch on her left wrist and stood up. “I must get going. My mom’s waiting for me back home.” She took one last glance at Sara before leaving. “To be continued.” Mila made her way to the counter to get her take-out in a white paper bag before exiting the diner into the darkness outside.

Immediately, Phichit, who may or may not have recorded the whole thing, turned to Sara. “Okay, that was good. Hopefully, you can do better tomorrow.”  
  
Sara sighed as she slumped further into the booth seat. She didn’t understand this. She gave tours like these to others at Monkshood County High School in the past years. She even gave one to Leo back in sophomore year when he moved here from San Luis Obispo. She gave them to middle-schoolers who wanted to study here. So why was one sweet, funny, gentle, beautiful fiery girl making her nervous like this?

_Wait. What? Beautiful??_

Leo still remained confused, however. “Wait what’s going on?”

Phichit sighed. “Clearly, nothing got in the way of Leo and Guang-hong’s meet cute.” 

* * *

**September 04, 2017.**  
**6:45 AM.**  
**Nekola Residence - Emil's Bedroom**  


_"I see the signs of a lifetime, you till I die_  
_And I'm swiftly out, Irish goodbye_  
  
_What if it's not meant for me?_  
_Love_  
_What if it's not meant for me?  
__Love"_

A little more towel-drying here and a little more headshaking there and Emil Nekola’s light brown hair was dry, messy, and good-to-go. This hairstyle, after his stubble and beard, was his trademark, after all. He’d already put on his lucky blue tee, his denim jeans, and his clean white kicks (that he spent the whole night cleaning). To cap it all off was his brand new letterman jacket.

Oh, this letterman. This tailor-made wool and leather jacket in its blue, purple, and white glory with a patch of a fox, Monkshood County High School’s mascot. Emil had to remember: to earn this jacket meant to carry the good name of not just the school, but also the co-ed interstate varsity hockey team. And that reminded him as well that he made it. He and his buddy, Jean-Jacques “JJ” Leroy, finally made the co-ed interstate team. With several students getting in to the hockey team, the coaches had to categorize the students between two: the intrastate teams and the interstate team. The intrastate team get regular fleece hoodies, but the interstate team gets the premium varsity jackets. And it’s been his and JJ’s dream since sophomore year to make it to the interstate team together.

Emil took one last look at the mirror and couldn’t contain his joy. He did it. He and JJ did it. A goal two years in the making and they made it. Just the thought of being a varsity jock made him dance to Wolf Alice as "Don't Delete the Kisses" blasted in his room. What more could Emil ask for?

_WHIRRRRRR~_

The faint sound that resembled a vacuum answered it for him.

Emil’s eyes widened, signaling him that the person he’s waiting for is within plain sight… from the his bedroom window, anyway. He raced to the window to find him right there.

 _Michele Crispino_.

His dearest friend and next-door neighbor. This guy that he’s been pining for throughout the years they’ve known each other blowdrying his short brown hair and combing it back to give it that signature style he wore like a crown.

Instinctively, Emil lifted his window open to shout, “Ahoj2, Mickeeeeey!” It seemed like just shouting that name cemented a huge smile on his face.

Mickey, who was in front of the mirror the whole time, was aghast to see his neighbor peering out his window, waving so eagerly at him so eagerly in the morning. Mickey’s face began to grow a bright beet red as he raced to his window to shut the draped, embarrassed. Clearly, Emil didn’t notice that Mickey’s lean caramel body was only covered by a white cotton towel.

Or did he? Is that why Emil’s face is getting all red and hot? Perhaps. Maybe it’s just the weather.

* * *

**6:47AM  
** **Crispino Residence – Kitchen**

“ _Buongiorno_ 3, Michele!” a bright and cheerful woman with flowing brown hair greeted Mickey as he made his way to the cherry breakfast table.

“ _Buongiorno, mamma_.” Michele gave his mother a quick peck on the cheek before sitting down for a breakfast consisting of caffe latte, butter, jam, and his mother’s family’s take on the _sfogliatella_ 4. It was always a tradition for Aurora Crispino, the family matriarch, to make these pastries and serve them on important days; in this case, Sara and Mickey’s first day of school. The pastries had their knack for bringing good luck to whosoever ate them for breakfast. It has never failed once.

“Oh look at you, _mio caro_ 5. So handsome in that uniform.” Mrs. Crispino placed her hand on her son’s back, beaming with pride as she set a glass of water on the table for Mickey.

“ _Grazie_ 6, mamma.” Mickey smiled as he took a sip of his latte. It was true though; he did look great in his cheerleading uniform. He filled it out in all the right places over the summer. The dominantly blue uniform, with its purple and white trimmings, fit him so well like a glove. He was a shining example for the Monkshood County High Foxes as its co-captain.

_THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!_

“ _Buongiorno, mamma!_ ” Soon, Sara Crispino, Mickey’s co-captain, in her own similarly-designed cheerleading uniform, darted into the kitchen.

Mrs. Crispino was lucky enough to have avoided her daughter’s sprinting to the breakfast table, since she was holding another cup of coffee. “Ahh, _polpetta_ 7! Be careful!”

“Sorry, _mamma_!” Sara sat herself adjacent to Mickey, who grew quiet while eating his pastry. He could only manage quick glances at his twin while resuming breakfast. Sara, after a few seconds, became quiet herself while Mrs. Crispino could only watch the silence between her children, wondering whatever could have happened that seemed to make a gap between her rather inseparable children.

* * *

**7:05AM  
** **Crispino Residence – Front Door**

“I’m off for school!” Michele yelled into the house as he was closing the door while his mother greeted her son with a quick goodbye from the kitchen. He turned his back on the door to face the bright and sunny 7:30AM sky.

He let out a deep sigh, relieved to be free from the painfully awkward situation he was in during breakfast but clearly depressed and exhausted from it. He knew his mother knew something was wrong. Neither he nor Sara wanted to say anything. But how could he confide in his mother or his father about this, anyway? This was so difficult for him to manage on his own yet—

“MICKEEEEYYYYYY HEYYY!”

_Oh._

Emil Nekola broke Michele’s train of thought, waving at him all the way from his red Honda CR-V parked on the sidewalk. “Do you need a ride to school?”

Almost instinctively, he blurted out, “I’m riding with Sa—”

 _Oh wait. Right._ Sara—

“—left already, right? She took the car to school. I just saw her a few minutes ago.” Emil was looking at Mickey worriedly. Was it painfully obvious that something was wrong with the twins? Or was it just Mickey’s imagination? “Look, you’re going to be late for school. Let me give you a ride, ayt?”

Mickey recomposed himself and began walking toward the sidewalk. It seemed to Emil like Mickey was going to take up his offer to ride with him to school… that is until Mickey took a sharp right and kept walking. “I’ll just walk to school.” The cheerleader uttered.

Emil was shocked. _Is Mickey serious?_ “It’s twenty blocks from here!” Emil started driving slowly so he can keep up with Mickey’s pace.

“Fresh air will do me good.” Mickey deadpanned.

“But… what about bullies?”

“I’m fast.”

“But that’ll crease your uniform and that never looks good on your first day at school as the cheerleading squad co-captain!” Emil blurted out. Perhaps a little too loud for his liking.

But it did get Mickey to stop walking. Now he was just looking at his clean white shoes on the cement pavement. His face began to show more of that exhaustion and sadness he was trying to hide from Emil.

But it also made Emil realize something else. Maybe he was insisting a little too much and being annoying again. “Oh well. If you really want to walk, I guess that’s okay. I’m sorry for being pushy.”

Emil was already getting ready to drive off when Mickey finally looked up to see Emil himself, frowning. “Umm, Emil—”

“I’ll see you at school, okay?”

“Emil, wait!” Mickey shouted. A little too loudly for his liking.

The red vehicle pulled over and Emil looked out the window again. Mickey slowly approached the car and politely but quietly asked, “May I get in?”

And with that, Emil Nekola couldn’t help but smile again.

* * *

**7:20AM  
** **Monkshood High – Student Lounge**

“…and over here is our student lounge where everybody takes breaks in between classes to socialize or catch up on some notes from the next classes.” Sara beamed as she and Mila, clad in a black sleeveless fit-and-flare Chanel dress with matching black stilettos, black Saint Laurent leather bag, and a pearl necklace, entered the common area bustling with students lounging by the windows and on the couches, reading notebooks or conversing with other people at tables full of paper coffee cups.

“It’s so quaint. Quintessential, even.” Mila beamed at the student lounge, tastefully designed with yellow walls and a mahogany wood paneling.

The girls made their way to the vending machines and stopped at the machine that dispenses coffee. Like it was routine, Mila begins to dig through her bag for her wallet for change. “Any recommendations?”

“Well,” Sara cleared her throat. “As an Italian girl, I say none of these are good. But they help you get by. The most tolerable one’s the mocha.”

Mila smiled at the cheerleader and slid a dollar into the vending machine. “Okay, I trust you on this. Coffee’s the most important part of my day. Usually.”

“' _Usually?_ ’ So what about unusually?” Sara began to move closer to Mila ever so casually, hoping the latter wouldn’t notice.

“Haha! Well, I’m new in town. I still have to make a good impression on everybody, get acquainted with where everything is…”

As much as Sara tried to control herself, she couldn’t help but get lost in those oceanic eyes Mila had. Who gave her eyes like that? And said she could keep them?

“Like, the best coffee shops here or the mall or the best hangout places—”

“That would be Mario’s Diner.” A male voice snapped Sara Crispino back to reality. The same voice that tried to pitch curly fries to Mila last night.

And another one, more upbeat and chatty, added. “And the James Dean Drive-In, named after aforementioned celebrity who rumor has it visited our town in the 20’s to inaugurate the drive-in. Although we see couples making out there or people doing shady shit than actually watching the films, we all hang there on Saturdays regardless of what’s playing. Friday nights are reserved for varsity games like hockey and tailgate parties at the Supermall parking lot. And Sundays… praise the Lord for Netflix.”

“Oh, hi!” Mila greeted the two newcomers to her and Sara’s conversation.

“Mila, these are Leo and Phichit.” Sara recomposed herself to introduce her two friends. “You’ve probably met them last night?”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mila!” Leo, ever cheerful and sweet, extended a friendly hand to Mila, who shook it. “Welcome to Monkshood High—”

“Is it true about your dad?” Phichit immediately chimed in.

And in a second, it felt like the whole room had gone silent. At least to Mila anyway. It was the one thing she didn’t need right now: a reminder as to why she and her mother were here at Monkshood County and not back in New York. The smile she wore faded away as her hand stopped shaking Leo’s and let go. The Latino boy looked at Phichit in disbelief. Sara could only eye everybody suspiciously as she had no idea what was going on.

All Mila could do was just look into Phichit’s eyes and say, “I stand by my father. He’s nothing like how he’s being portrayed in the news.” She turned to Sara and Leo and asked, “Does everybody know?”

How could Sara know, really? She had no idea even what Phichit was talking about. And she’s usually very updated with what goes on at school, considering her position as a correspondent in the school newspaper. Leo and Phichit always talk to each other, so would Leo know if everybody knew about Sara? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

The vending machine made one final buzz before coming to a halt, allowing Mila to take out a fresh cup of mocha and take a sip. “Fantastic.” _Nice way to start a new life, huh?_

* * *

**7:20AM  
** **Monkshood High – Hallway**

From outside the student lounge, Michele Crispino was peering into the student lounge. He was looking at his darling sister Sara as she interacted with her best friends and a red-headed girl he didn’t know about. He hesitated at first about entering the lounge, wondering if approaching his sister would be a good idea. _She’d probably hate me for_ that, he thought to himself. Mickey decided against it and just walked away, with a melancholy look on his face.

And as if his radar senses were activated, Emil Nekola, picking out his books from his locker, turned around to see his Mickey—wait. No. What? _Wait. My Mickey? No way haha_ , Emil laughed at himself for the silliness of his wishful thinking. But he couldn’t help but notice that something was off with Michele Crispino, whose fiery personality was beginning to dim out and become almost unrecognizable with that somber state he was in.

“EMIL!”

Emil turned around to see his best friend pounce onto him and latched an arm around him. “JJ! Heeeeey nice jacket bro!”

“Haha! As is yours!” Jean-Jacques Leroy grinned as both boys beamed with pride and excitement. Both of them were wearing their most prized fashion statement: their varsity jackets. Well-earned, well-deserved, and well-fitted on both boys. “I can’t believe we finally did it. We’re in the interstate varsity team and it still feels like news to me.”

“Same here, man. But today, the real work begins, Captain.” Emil smiled at JJ as the former took out his AP Physics book and closed his locker. “And as always, you’ve got this.”

JJ took a deep breath and his expression changed immediately. “But what if I screw this up? We have our first game next week and—”

“Then we’ll train as much as we can so that we don’t suck. And if we do lose – God forbid – then we lose. We can rest in the knowledge that we gave it our all, yeah?” Emil put a hand on JJ’s shoulder, optimistic that his friend will help deliver a great year. “And you can rest knowing that you gave it your all as a captain. People will react however they want to. That’s beyond your control. But finishing your term as captain is within your control.”

JJ smiled. “You’re right. Finished, not perfect.” Immediately, the ecstatic boy pulled Emil into a hug. “Thanks, bro.

Emil responded by putting his arms around JJ. And in that moment, both friends felt some sense of comfort from each other as the anxieties of the first day of school seemed to back away from Jean-Jacques Leroy. His friend gives such good hugs.

A few lockers down, a shorter male sporting a pushed-back undercut dressed in a black leather jacket, a white cotton shirt, blue denim jeans, and black army boots made his way to his locker with everybody near him moving away from him. As if everybody knew to clear a specific radius away from this brooding boy. Everybody knew to stay away from Otabek Altin, the mysterious bad boy who everybody knows nothing about. But if there was one thing people knew, it was to move out of his way or you will be moved. Otabek began unlocking his locker and pulling out his book but couldn’t help but glance over at a particular boy with his best friend. And oddly enough, he felt a slight tinge of jealousy. But jealousy of what? Even he couldn’t fathom it. Once he finished taking his books, Otabek shut his locker.

From his hug with his best friend, Jean-Jacques Leroy looked up and saw Otabek Altin walk away.

* * *

**7:45AM  
** **Monkshood High – Hallway**

“…oh there’s also a Back-to-School Semi-Formal this weekend. You should come!” Phichit gleefully chirped as he was holding his phone up at Mila, Sara, and Leo as the gang walked down the hallway.

“What are you doing?” Mila eyed Phichit, suspicious of his intentions.

Phichit stopped walking. “I am recording Mila’s first day at school—”

“What? No.” Immediately, Mila placed a hand on Phichit’s phone camera. “If you plan to upload this, don’t.”

Phichit was taken aback. “What? Why? This would be a great story for The Perspective!”

Mila tilted her head, slightly confused, as if asking what The Perspective is. Sara utters, “Our school newspaper.”

“No. No way in hell, Peach Pit.” Mila gasped.

“Phichit.” He corrected her. “And what harm will it even do? You’re the first exciting thing that’s happened to the school since Vik—!”  
  
“That’s just it.” Mila snatched Phichit’s phone and stopped his recording. “My family has been through enough. The last thing we need is more reporters and media outlets hounding me and my mother. Okay?”

Dismayed, Phichit tried to debate over the issue. “But—”

“Phichit.” Sara stared her friend down and shook her head, implying that he’s crossed a line with the newcomer.

Phichit sighed. “Fine.”

“Anywayyyy…”, Leo interrupted as the group returned to walking. “It’s time to get to the school assembly. We’ll get a verdict today if the Semi-Formal will be cancelled because of what happened to Viktor.”

“Who’s Viktor and what happened to him?” Mila looked at her friends (and Phichit), waiting for an answer. Sara, Leo, and Phichit looked at each other, wondering how to explain the incident to their new friend.

* * *

**8:00AM  
** **Monkshood High – Gymnasium**

“Thank you all for this moment of silence.” The voice of Yuuri Katsuki, fresh from mourning and tears over his boyfriend still missing and dressed in dark funeral clothes, echoed in the gymnasium sound system and resonated with many students seated on the bleachers. Standing behind Yuuri was Christophe Giacometti, the school guidance counselor, ready to console and bring the bereaved young man to his office should Yuuri break down. Yuuri exhaled and began speaking into the microphone. “These are trying times for Monkshood County. Many of us can count ourselves lucky to have known Viktor Nikiforov personally.”

‘ _Who?_ ’, Mila Babicheva thought to herself. Still, no one answered her question about who this Viktor guy is and what happened to him.

“He meant the world to me during our time together. All of us, as a student body, meant so much to him.” Yuuri paused for a bit, shaken and teary-eyed again. He took a deep breath and continued on. “We were a community that showed him love and adoration because he was someone worth looking up to and worth loving whole-heartedly.”

Somewhere in the crowd of students, an icy-blonde boy rolled his eyes and uttered to himself, “What a joke.”

Next to this boy, Otabek Altin sat quiety but sternly, fully focused on Yuuri’s speech. From a distance, Jean-Jacques "JJ" Leroy glanced at the famed bad boy from Kazakhstan before looking back front, paying attention to Yuuri with utmost concern.

JJ’s seatmate, Emil Nekola, still bothered about the somberness and worry he felt for Michele Crispino a while ago, tried to be discreet in finding Mickey among the crowd of students listening to Yuuri’s speech. Emil finally saw Mickey seated with two other members of the cheerleading squad, Guang-hong Ji and Takeshi Nishigori. Even if Mickey was far, Emil could see a look of disdain on the former’s face.

A tear rolled down Yuuri’s face as he said, “I loved Viktor. He was and always will be my soulmate.”

Elsewhere, Sara Crispino (seated with Leo de la Iglesia, Phichit Chulanont who was busy live-streaming the speech, and Mila Babicheva) glanced at her brother with a sense of regret and guilt before looking away. Mila looked at Sara, knowing that there is really something wrong and she wanted to help without seeming invasive. But if she was sure about something here, it was that _she cared about Sara_.

“I speak with the confidence only a bereaved man could have. Viktor wouldn’t want us to mourn forever. He would want us to move forward and heal.” Yuuri paused before making the big announcement that the students seemed to be more slightly concerned about. “Which is why I asked the School Board not to cancel the Back-to-School Semi-Formal.”

Immediately, the students burst into cheer and applause with the knowledge that they will be having fun this coming weekend. Yuuri smiled hopefully at the crowd and ended his speech, “Through the Semi-Formal, we could use this as a way to heal collectively and celebrate not just Viktor’s life, but our own. Let us use this time to remember that our lives are too short to live with sadness and that we must make the most of it. Thank you all.”

And with that, thunderous applause filled the gymnasium with the students as the speech came to a close as everyone began to stand up and exit the venue, with chatter over the Semi-Formal mixing with the school atmosphere.

Elsewhere, Emil Nekola took one last glance at the melancholy Michele Crispino as the latter exited the gymnasium, blending with the crowd and disappearing. Emil, as per usual, could sense something was up with Mickey but didn’t want to tell anyone. And as much as Mickey wouldn’t want to talk to him, Emil would have to try anyway.

Because that’s what _friends_ do, right? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's Chapter 1 of Monkshood County. Did it feel rather incomplete? I felt like it would be better that way so we can get to people fixing their problems in the next chapter(s) and so you guys can get a glimpse of life at the county.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed it. Stay tuned for Chapter 2! Follow me [here](http://emimiketrash.tumblr.com) on Tumblr!
> 
> Chapter title from "[WeAreTheYouth](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNvFBfTve_k)" by Electric Youth.
> 
> Songs mentioned were "[Under Your Spell](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K7rmxjk5RQ)" by Desire and "[Don't Delete the Kisses](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqxE-zppu30)" by Wolf Alice.
> 
> Translation notes:  
> 1 glavnaya - home (Russian)  
> 2 ahoj! - Hello! (Czech)  
> 3 buongiorno - Good morning (Italian)  
> 4 mio caro - My dear (Italian)  
> 5 sfogliatella - a shell-shaped filled Italian pastry native to Campania, where Naples is the capital  
> 6 grazie - Thank you (Italian)  
> 7 polpetta - meatball (an Italian term of endearment)


End file.
